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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — to wash
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. shower — rain
  10. row — a line
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mouse — the animal

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