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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: kid · wake · perch · sharp · leaves · scale · plane · saw

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — in music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — to tease
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — size or range

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