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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bound — tied together
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. band — a ring
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — the fish
  19. content — the amount
  20. band — a music group
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a quarrel

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