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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. perch — the fish
  3. present — a gift
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. present — there
  7. bat — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — a position
  15. season — of the year
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. present — the time now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — for a bird
  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