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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — to crush
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. suit — in cards
  8. content — happy
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — to grow
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — a break
  14. land — ground
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. suit — clothes
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. season — in sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rest — what's left

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