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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.

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: racket · wax · net · perch · snap · roll · degree · bound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — to grow
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bound — obliged
  10. degree — an amount
  11. roll — a cake
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to click
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — temperature
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. roll — a list
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. degree — from a university

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