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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: date · mouse · ruler · wax · roll · net · cold · clip

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — a video
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — to cut
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — for catching
  24. date — on the calendar

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