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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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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: rest · land · cap · scale · wake · arm · perch · bear

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. land — a country
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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