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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wake — a trail
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bass — low music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rock — 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