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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. current — of water
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. roll — a cake
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. branch — a division
  11. current — electric
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — a list
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. current — happening now
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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