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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: perch · wake · cue · straw · saw · stand · bay · scale

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cue — a signal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stand — to bear

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