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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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. present — there
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. present — the time now
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wax — to grow
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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