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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · staff · mate · nail · scale · club · wake · content

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. scale — size or range
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mate — a partner
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — for golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — a group
  24. content — the amount

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