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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — to grow
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — the fruit

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