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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to click
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — a container
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. scale — in music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — obliged
  18. club — a group
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — certain
  22. scale — size or range
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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