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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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. suit — clothes
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. shower — rain
  8. perch — the fish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — 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