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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — an aim
  3. pop — to visit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. perch — the fish
  7. object — to protest
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — music
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — the underground
  17. craft — boats
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ball — a dance
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — for a bird

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