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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fall — the season
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — to grow
  17. firm — a company
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. firm — steady
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. firm — decided
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to sink

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