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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 120 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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to click
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — of law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. object — a thing
  20. perch — the fish
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. land — to come down

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