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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 · leaves · pitcher · bass · court · season · straw · wax

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bass — low music
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of law
  24. bass — the instrument

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