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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — for golf
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for dancing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — a company
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — a group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — of a tree

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