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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rock — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bound — tied together
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — a stone

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