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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — for pool
  7. present — the time now
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cue — a hint
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. present — a gift
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cue — a signal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — a country
  24. perch — the fish

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