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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wax — to grow
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — army training
  8. scale — size or range
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. season — of the year
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — letters
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. drill — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — in music
  24. drill — a practice

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