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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — the underground
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lean — thin
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wind — moving air
  20. land — ground
  21. lean — to bend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wind — to turn a key

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