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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cue — for pool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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