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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — the fish
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — to sink
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — for digging
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. can — a tin

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