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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. row — a line
  3. game — a match
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — goods
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — to grow
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a quarrel

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