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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: perch · mug · tear · cap · last · scale · bowl · face

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — to point toward
  3. scale — in music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mug — a face
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. face — part of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mug — to rob
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. bowl — a football final

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