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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. root — of a word
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. root — of a plant
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — to push
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — a match

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