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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 120 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: saw · court · scale · spell · mug · perch · tear · sharp

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. mug — a face
  24. scale — size or range

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