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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: drill · deal · lean · perch · hand · wound · scale · current

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — to handle
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. scale — in music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. current — happening now
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. current — electric

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