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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
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: file · net · wax · bat · perch · fork · hide · season

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — in sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — in a road
  24. file — a document

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