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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. present — a gift
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. present — there
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — the time now
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — the month

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