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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · safe · fan · lash · perch · leaves · cold · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — in music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — for weighing

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