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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tube — the underground
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — a signal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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