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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.

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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bound — obliged
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — tied together
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — in geometry

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