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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. roll — a list
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — to grow
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pound — a weight
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pop — music

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