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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: roll · bass · rash · scale · chest · pitcher · perch · craft

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. craft — boats
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — size or range
  10. perch — the fish
  11. roll — a list
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — in music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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