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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — to keep track
  4. key — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. key — the most important part
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — a path
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — hurry
  21. track — a song
  22. key — for a lock
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rush — to hurry

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