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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 116 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: game · hide · cabinet · mouse · perch · club · wax · wake

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — a match
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for dancing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — to grow

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