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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — in sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — to protest
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. object — a thing
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. root — of a word
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — for betting
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. object — an aim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. perch — the fish
  24. root — of a plant

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