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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: perch · stem · file · club · toast · deal · scale · current

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — electric
  4. toast — bread
  5. stem — to come from
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for golf
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. file — a tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. file — a line of people
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — the fish
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a document
  24. current — happening now

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