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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.

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: scale · tube · chest · can · kid · hand · perch · board

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — a box
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. scale — size or range
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chest — of your 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