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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 · rush · bark · current · ruler · spring · bass · perch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — the fish
  14. current — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — in music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ruler — for measuring

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