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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — the fish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — rain
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. game — wild animals
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — a division
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. game — a match

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