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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. roll — a list
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. last — final
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — a thing
  18. last — finally
  19. wax — to grow
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spring — of water
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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