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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rule — a law
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — of a word
  15. scale — size or range
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — the cause
  18. rule — government
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — to grow

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