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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. bank — of a river
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — completely
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bank — for money
  16. row — a line
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wax — for sculpting

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