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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: firm · wax · rock · land · fall · season · net · fine

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — ground
  6. net — for catching
  7. firm — steady
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — decided
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

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