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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 120 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: last · court · arm · can · shower · perch · wax · pit

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. perch — the fish
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — final
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — of a king
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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