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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. present — there
  13. spring — a coil
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pound — a weight
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. squash — to crush
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mark — a grade
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — of water

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