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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bass — low music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a line
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — size or range
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — to paddle

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