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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wake — a trail
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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