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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. can — a tin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. can — to be able to
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. can — a tin
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. saw — the tool

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