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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — in sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a music group
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mug — a face
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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