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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: date · object · perch · pop · scale · clip · fine · lean

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — for paper
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pop — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. scale — size or range
  9. object — a thing
  10. clip — to cut
  11. object — an aim
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — a video
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — all right
  19. date — the fruit
  20. scale — in music
  21. lean — thin
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — to visit

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