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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mug — a cup
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — electricity
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — a price
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mug — to rob
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — the season
  18. cold — an illness
  19. charge — in control
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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