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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. date — the fruit
  19. press — to push
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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