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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — in football
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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