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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: scale · root · band · pound · chest · sharp · object · perch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. object — to protest
  3. root — of a plant
  4. object — a thing
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — an aim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pound — a weight
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — in music
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. chest — a box
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — the cause
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. root — of a word
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — exactly

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