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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · track · scale · perch · arm · wax · leaves · prune

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — to grow
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — to keep track
  11. scale — in music
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rest — a break

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