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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. field — farmland
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — the fish
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — government
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — for sport

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