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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rock — a stone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — to grow
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. capital — money
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — help
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — music
  24. march — music

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