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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · tear · plane · scale · cap · ball · bat · perch

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a hat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a dance
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. scale — size or range
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. perch — the fish
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a lid
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bat — for baseball

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