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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. race — the arms race
  4. band — a ring
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a song
  15. band — a music group
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. track — a path
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — humankind

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