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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · coach · squash · scale · straw · craft · hand · patient

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — to crush
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. craft — a skill
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — boats
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — in music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. perch — for a bird

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