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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. vault — a safe
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — a division
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — to rip

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