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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — for a bird

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