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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — to visit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — soda
  8. charge — electricity
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. charge — in control
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pop — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — the fish
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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