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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chest — of your body
  5. firm — decided
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. firm — steady
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — to grow
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — to crush
  22. perch — the fish
  23. squash — the sport
  24. firm — a company

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