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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — a country
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — to come down
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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