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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.

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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: can · net · cap · bore · wax · swing · lean · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to drill
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lean — thin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. net — for catching
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bore — to tire
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. net — after costs
  23. cap — a hat
  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