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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — a practice
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. press — a publisher
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. object — a thing
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — a tool
  15. object — an aim
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — army training

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