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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · net · racket · mine · bark · sharp · wax · fall

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — to shout
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — the season
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — after costs

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