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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 · scale · spring · prune · perch · rash · staff · patient

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — in music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. patient — a sick person

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