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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
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 · patient · club · face · scale · bat · spell · drill

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. club — for golf
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — part of the head
  10. drill — army training
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. spell — letters
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — size or range
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — a practice
  22. club — for dancing
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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