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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.

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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: pit · row · net · lean · rule · bulb · bass · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — after costs
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. row — a line
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rule — a law
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wax — to grow

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