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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.

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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: file · squash · perch · scale · rest · row · bank · spring

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a document
  7. bank — of a river
  8. row — to paddle
  9. scale — in music
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a line
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. perch — 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