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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — to recline
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. arm — part of the body

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