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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — a group
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wax — to grow
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wound — an injury

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