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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — child
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fall — the season
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fall — to drop

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