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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. present — the time now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. drill — army training
  8. perch — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. present — there
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. present — a gift
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — final
  24. ground — the earth

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