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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: scale · perch · cap · spring · saw · jam · net · bark

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cap — of ice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bark — to shout
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — the fish
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cap — a lid

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