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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.

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: perch · pitcher · leaves · current · bear · nail · wind · wax

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. perch — for a bird
  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