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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. scale — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — to paddle
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wake — a trail

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