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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — the fish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. club — a group
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. club — for golf
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ball — a great time
  24. perch — for a bird

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