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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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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — tied together
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — obliged
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a word
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. root — the cause
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — the fish

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