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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — to come down
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. land — ground
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. last — final
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — help
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bear — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. hand — in cards

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