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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — low music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — in a road

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