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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — the fish
  3. last — finally
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — low music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. season — in sport
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stand — to bear
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — the fish
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. season — to add flavour

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