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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: hide · net · pitcher · fork · perch · lean · scale · snap

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — for catching
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. net — after costs
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — thin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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