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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: last · net · rush · ball · racket · saw · wax · leaves

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rush — hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. leaves — of a tree

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