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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: game · present · wax · coach · can · pass · net · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — a permit
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. present — there
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. present — the time now

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