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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — in sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mug — a cup
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mug — to rob
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. season — of the year
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. branch — a division

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