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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · wax · press · swing · fan · wound · net · bark

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — in sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. press — to push
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com