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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 116 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: calf · scale · leaves · mine · field · wax · perch · nail

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — in music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — farmland
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. scale — size or range
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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