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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. toast — bread
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. ground — a position
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend time

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