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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — a position
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ground — crushed

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