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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. key — in music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fall — the season
  13. sharp — clever
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cell — a phone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — the most important part
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — exactly

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