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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. branch — a division
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. perch — the fish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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