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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 116 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: net · fan · capital · wax · firm · bowl · drill · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — after costs
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — decided
  8. net — in sport
  9. firm — steady
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — a company
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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