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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: land · perch · bat · toast · jam · wax · kid · scale

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — to tease
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — the animal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. scale — in music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. toast — bread
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — in the ear

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