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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — a division
  3. wax — to grow
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. court — of a king
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. court — of law
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. court — for sport
  19. craft — boats
  20. lean — thin
  21. shower — rain
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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