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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.

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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. can — a tin
  15. toast — bread
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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