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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fork — in a road
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. branch — a division
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. plane — in geometry

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