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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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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: ground · bat · net · wax · dip · last · bay · suit

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — after costs
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — final
  9. net — for catching
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — crushed
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ground — the earth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ground — a position

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