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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — of a king
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — a division
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — clever
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rock — a stone

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