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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 116 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pop — soda
  20. kick — in football
  21. pop — music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wax — to grow

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