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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
468
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 · mine · chair · lash · net · wax · pitcher · perch

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. net — after costs
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. perch — the fish

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