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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — for a lock
  4. present — a gift
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cue — a signal
  9. present — the time now
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. wax — to grow
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. scale — in music
  22. present — there
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — for a bird

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