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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 · fine · wax · staff · key · land · fan · trunk

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — to grow
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. perch — the fish
  22. land — ground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — a country

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