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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cell · land · row · staff · hide · pitcher · scale

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — size or range
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. perch — the fish

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