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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: deal · wax · leaves · chair · net · bass · mate · shower

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — to handle
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — for catching
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bass — the fish
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mate — a friend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bass — low music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — after costs
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. deal — an agreement

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