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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.

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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 · craft · cell · pop · rash · lean · track · bass

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. craft — boats
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bass — low music
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pop — soda
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a song
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pop — music
  24. bass — the fish

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