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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — there
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — the time now
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — in cards
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. row — a line
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — help
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — to grow
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. present — a gift
  23. firm — a company
  24. perch — for a bird

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