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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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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: bay · deal · tear · wax · pitch · wave · last · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — final
  4. net — after costs
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. last — finally
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — to go on
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — for catching

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