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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. track — a path
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — the fish
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. track — to keep track
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. perch — for a bird

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