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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — for golf
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mug — a cup
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — a group
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitch — completely
  24. club — for dancing

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