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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. suit — to fit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — a country
  11. suit — in cards
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. suit — clothes
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. wax — to grow
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — the tool

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