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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — of water
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spring — the season
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mark — a grade
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mark — a trace
  20. net — in sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spring — a coil
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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