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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spring — the season
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pass — a permit
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wax — to grow

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