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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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Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. perch — the fish
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. kick — in football
  20. current — happening now
  21. plane — a tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. season — in sport

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