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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — in a road
  18. racket — for tennis

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