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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — a company
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. file — a tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. firm — steady
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fall — the season
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. capital — a city
  21. firm — decided
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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