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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tube — a container
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — finally
  16. tube — the underground
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — the fish
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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