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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — a tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. snap — to click
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — of the leg

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