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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: spell · bound · bass · leaves · sharp · perch · clip · scale

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — a short time
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — in music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — the fish
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — to cut
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spell — letters
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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