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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. perch — the fish
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — to go on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — final
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. mug — a face
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mug — to rob
  24. roll — on a roll

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