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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. object — to protest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. object — a thing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pop — soda
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. shower — rain
  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