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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — to bear
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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