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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. capital — money
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — wild animals
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lean — to bend
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — a match
  15. pass — a permit
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. staff — employees
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — a stick
  24. game — a kind of play

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