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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: perch · game · rock · roll · scale · tube · last · staff

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. game — wild animals
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — the underground
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — the fish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. staff — employees
  17. roll — a list
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — a kind of play
  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