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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. board — a committee
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spring — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. firm — a company
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — a coil
  16. press — to push
  17. firm — decided
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. firm — steady
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — to get on
  22. spring — the season
  23. wax — to grow
  24. press — newspapers

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