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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 120 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
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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: net · wax · clip · mine · swing · ruler · suit · chest

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. net — in sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — for catching
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — to fit
  12. swing — music
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — a video
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. chest — a box
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — to cut
  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