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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: straw · wind · perch · bore · staff · scale · rock · leaves

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rock — a stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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