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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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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: scale · rock · fine · wound · calf · saw · lean · straw

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. rock — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. scale — size or range
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lean — thin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — a stone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. straw — a straw man
  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