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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: sharp · perch · mate · pop · can · mouse · fall · wax

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — the season
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fall — to drop

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