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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. court — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of a king
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — the fish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. land — to come down
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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