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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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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: toast · band · wind · wax · court · bay · perch · lean

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — bread
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. court — for sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — of a king
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. toast — the most admired

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