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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — child

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