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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.

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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitch — completely
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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