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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. band — a ring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mug — a face
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a song
  16. content — the amount
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a music group
  23. track — a path
  24. content — happy

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