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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rock — a stone
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — happy
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — in music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. temple — side of the head

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