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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 112 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 · deal · rush · clip · perch · firm

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. firm — a company
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — steady
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. deal — to handle
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. firm — decided
  13. clip — to cut
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. scale — in music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — a video
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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