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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: mouse · coach · file · band · tear · perch · mate · scale

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. scale — size or range
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a ring

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