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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — to grow
  8. field — farmland
  9. rash — a series
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — a subject
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — hasty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mate — a friend
  22. field — for sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — what's left

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