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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.

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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: season · net · spell · craft · wax · sharp · kid · fall

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — magic
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — a short time
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spell — letters
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fall — the season
  22. season — in sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — to grow

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