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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: perch · land · wax · scale · bass · club · stick · face

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. face — to confront
  3. club — for golf
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — size or range
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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