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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: content · perch · deal · racket · wax · kick · wind · rash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. content — the amount
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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