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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · game · perch · bear · stick · tube · hide · march

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — a match
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. perch — the fish

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