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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. land — to come down
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rock — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mug — a face
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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