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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. shower — rain
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — a hat
  18. branch — a division
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wound — an injury

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