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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — in music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — child
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. craft — a skill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. current — happening now
  15. craft — boats
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. current — electric
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — for weighing

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