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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. court — for sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — of a king
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of law
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — for light

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