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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rash — a series
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — certain
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — obliged
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — hasty

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