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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.

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: pop · craft · content · nail · file · patient · scale · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. file — a line of people
  10. content — happy
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a skill
  15. file — a document
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. craft — boats
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. content — the amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — the fish

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