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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mug — to rob
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mug — a face
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — a box
  24. deal — an agreement

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