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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. row — a line
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. branch — a division
  9. current — of water
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — help
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — the fish
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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