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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. object — a thing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. object — an aim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. object — to protest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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