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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — a series
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — soda
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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