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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: bowl · nail · cold · perch · wave · scale · toast · lean

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. toast — bread
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cold — an illness
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. toast — the most admired

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