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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. bass — the fish
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — low music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fall — to drop

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