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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: scale · perch · land · hand · dip · drill · staff · lie

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — help
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. land — a country
  13. scale — in music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. drill — army training
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — employees

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