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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — in music
  20. pop — music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — a stone

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