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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — letters
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spell — magic
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bass — low music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — of a bank

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