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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — to handle
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chair — a leader
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a professorship

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