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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cap — a lid
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a friend
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — size or range
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a song
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — in music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. track — a path

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