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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: craft · game · tube · net · date · face · wax · rush

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. face — to confront
  5. wax — to grow
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — for catching
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tube — a container
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — to point toward
  19. craft — a skill
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tube — the underground
  24. game — a kind of play

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