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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.

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: present · wax · bound · leaves · land · nail · bass · net

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. present — a gift
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — to come down
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — ground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. present — there
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — a country
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. present — the time now
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bass — low music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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