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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
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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: pop · bore · season · wax · object · club · net · spring

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. object — a thing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — the season
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pop — soda
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — of the year
  14. object — an aim
  15. club — a group
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — of water
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. club — for dancing

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