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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — to rip
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mark — a grade
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tube — a container
  24. perch — for a bird

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