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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · season · rest · ground · pitcher · perch · wax · saw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ground — the earth
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — of the year
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — a position
  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