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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 · rock · saw · scale · drill · pop · bowl · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pop — to visit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — a stone
  12. perch — the fish
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — soda
  24. bowl — to roll

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