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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — for golf
  3. perch — the fish
  4. present — there
  5. wax — to grow
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. present — the time now
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — in sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rock — music
  17. branch — a division
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — a gift
  20. rock — a stone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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