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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cap — a lid
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — for sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. branch — a division
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — a hat
  12. court — of law
  13. land — to come down
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — of a king

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