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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: field · vault · scale · fine · mate · fork · perch · staff

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — a friend
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. scale — in music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. fork — in a road
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fine — high quality
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. scale — size or range

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