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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 116 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: rash · net · row · hand · rest · wax · swing · pit

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — help
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — in cards
  24. swing — music

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