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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 116 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: row · spell · scale · wake · club · cold · prune · perch

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wake — a trail
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — in music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for dancing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. club — for golf
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. spell — magic
  21. club — a group
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. row — a quarrel

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