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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: jam · wound · scale · rock · perch · net · stick · chair

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. net — in sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a leader
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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