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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: bear · scale · ground · rock · game · perch · spell · mark

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — a match
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — magic
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — in music
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — a trace
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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