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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — a tin
  3. field — farmland
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — letters
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mine — an explosive

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