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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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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 · mug · stick · rest · bat · fork · mine · perch

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mug — a face
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rest — a break
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bat — in an idiom

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