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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 120 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: band · fall · lean · pound · ground · craft · perch · scale

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. band — a ring
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — thin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — a position
  14. perch — the fish
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a music group
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. craft — boats
  24. fall — the season

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