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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — in music
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fall — the season
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — size or range

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