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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: bat · wax · row · fine · net · wave · chip · last

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bat — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. net — for catching
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — a line
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — final

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