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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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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 · mug · bat · saw · bulb · board · leaves · wax

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mug — a face
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. board — to get on
  17. mug — a cup
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mug — to rob
  24. perch — for a bird

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