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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: perch · bark · charge · scale · bass · pit · pop · spell

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — music
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — soda
  5. bass — low music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. scale — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pit — a hole
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — letters
  13. charge — in control
  14. pit — in a race
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bark — to shout

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