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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. drill — the tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rule — a law
  11. toast — bread
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — a song
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. track — a path
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — army training
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. track — to keep track
  24. club — for dancing

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