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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. can — a tin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — a division
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. can — to be able to
  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