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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 116 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: lean · prune · nail · rock · perch · rest · swing · scale

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — in golf
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. swing — to play on
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rock — music
  16. lean — thin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to bend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. swing — music

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