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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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · scale · hide · ground · squash · leaves · perch · cold

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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