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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: wax · pit · roll · straw · perch · mouse · craft · ground

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pit — a hole
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — a position
  10. pit — in a race
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ground — the earth
  17. craft — boats
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mouse — the animal

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