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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rock — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — the tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — army training
  16. club — a group
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — a city
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. capital — money
  23. club — for dancing
  24. perch — for a bird

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