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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a music group
  5. charge — in control
  6. perch — the fish
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — in music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — a price
  12. shower — rain
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. shower — to wash
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wake — a trail
  20. charge — electricity
  21. scale — size or range
  22. plane — a tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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