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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
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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: perch · tear · ball · scale · toast · wound · mate · leaves

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — to breed
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ball — a great time
  16. toast — bread
  17. scale — in music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tear — from crying
  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