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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 · club · mine · perch · tear · arm · lean · hide

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. club — a group
  6. perch — the fish
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mine — for digging
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lean — thin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lean — to bend
  24. arm — part of the body

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