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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: wake · wave · track · perch · board · scale · season · spring

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — a song
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — to keep track
  22. scale — in music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. track — a path

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