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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a music group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. band — a ring
  10. row — a line
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kick — in football
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — to grow

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