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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — a hat
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chair — a leader
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tear — from crying

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