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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. degree — from a university
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. can — to be able to
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — an amount
  24. branch — a division

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