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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — a line
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. date — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — music

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