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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · row · perch · land · scale · bowl · rash · bark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bark — to shout
  5. perch — the fish
  6. land — a country
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. land — to come down
  13. scale — in music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — on the skin

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