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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: prune · coach · wave · clip · scale · board · content · perch

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. perch — the fish
  4. scale — size or range
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. scale — in music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. content — the amount
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — happy
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — a committee
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — a video
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. clip — for paper
  24. scale — for weighing

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