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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — certain
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stock — goods
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — army training
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. perch — the fish
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stock — shares

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