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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · field · bat · cap · mouse · fine · wax · perch

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  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