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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: perch · bear · lean · race · pitch · lie · squash · wax

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to bend
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wax — to grow
  13. squash — the sport
  14. race — a contest
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — humankind
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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