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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: wax · pass · root · net · fork · wound · game · rock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rock — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. game — a match
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fork — in a road
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. pass — a permit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — the cause
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — for catching

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