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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: craft · perch · cell · date · roll · bark · club · staff

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. club — for dancing
  5. roll — a list
  6. club — for golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — a group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — a phone
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. perch — the fish
  23. staff — a stick
  24. craft — boats

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