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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kid — child
  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