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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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468
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 · scale · drill · band · nail · board · lie · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — in music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. lie — to recline
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. perch — the fish
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a ring
  20. drill — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lie — an untruth

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