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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: clip · perch · scale · stem · ball · rock · mark · mine

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. clip — to cut
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — for weighing

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