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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: lash · land · wax · clip · suit · pitcher · net · mark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — for catching
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — to come down
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lash — to lash out

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