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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: row · lie · track · fall · wax · rest · leaves · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — to recline
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — the season
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. track — to keep track
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — a song
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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