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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. chest — a box
  12. suit — to fit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — to grow

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