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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. plane — a tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — happy
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — the amount
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — a trace
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — the fish
  24. plane — in geometry

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