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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. root — of a word
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — the cause
  16. hand — help
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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