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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · wake · scale · perch · field · cabinet

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. perch — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — a subject
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — farmland
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. wake — a trail

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