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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. track — a path
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — a stone
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. perch — the fish
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — a safe
  13. row — to paddle
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — a lid
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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