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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bound — certain
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. race — a contest
  6. bound — obliged
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. race — the arms race
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — humankind
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — tied together

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