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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — final
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — to go on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. current — electric

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