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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. drill — army training
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — to grow
  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