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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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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: snap · scale · bulb · press · perch · staff · rock · cold

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — in music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — to push
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — newspapers

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