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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — a position
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. shower — rain
  22. snap — to click
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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