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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: bore · mine · spring · arm · net · wax · lie · squash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — to crush
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spring — the season
  24. squash — the vegetable

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