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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — a match
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — the fish

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