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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 120 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: lie · tear · wax · perch · band · game · racket · wound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — to rip
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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