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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — ground
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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