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

Word bank: bear · land · kick · wax · perch · wind · club · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. club — for golf
  5. perch — the fish
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — clothes
  10. land — a country
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — a group
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wind — moving air
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. land — ground
  24. kick — with a leg

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