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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 · saw · pound · scale · cue · arm · lash · land

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. scale — size or range
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cue — a hint
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — a country
  18. perch — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pound — a weight
  24. arm — part of the body

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