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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.

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: perch · chip · fan · scale · bark · tear · nail · key

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — for betting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — in music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. key — for a lock
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — to rip
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — the most important part

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