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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 · wax · straw · scale · clip · rock · wake · board

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rock — a stone
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a committee
  13. clip — to cut
  14. scale — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. clip — for paper
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — a straw man

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