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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. current — happening now
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — to grow
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — of water
  23. spring — the season
  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