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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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468
Word bank
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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — in a road
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. scale — in music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. racket — a loud noise

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