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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: net · wave · nail · pitcher · race · deal · wax · racket

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — humankind
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. race — a contest
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — the arms race
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — to grow
  24. nail — for a hammer

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