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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. object — an aim
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — to confront

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