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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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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: toast · perch · pop · ruler · ground · mine · wax · rule

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pop — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ground — a position
  23. pop — soda
  24. ruler — for measuring

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