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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — of the year
  5. rule — a law
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. row — a line
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — to paddle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — clothes
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — to add flavour

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