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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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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: scale · kid · lean · perch · coach · fall · craft · snap

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — the fish
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — boats
  15. lean — thin
  16. fall — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — to tease
  22. coach — a trainer
  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