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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — a division
  5. cue — a hint
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — letters
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. spell — a short time
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — for a bird
  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