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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bank — for money
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bank — of a river
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — of a bank

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