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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 120 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: straw · perch · bark · race · drill · object · wind · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. race — humankind
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — an aim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — a thing
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. object — to protest
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. race — a contest
  24. perch — the fish

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