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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: wax · ground · perch · stick · race · bowl · can · cold

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — crushed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wax — to grow
  16. race — humankind
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — the earth
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — to be able to

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