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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. hand — help
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. perch — the fish
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. club — a group
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. craft — boats
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hand — in cards
  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