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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — to eat
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. track — a song
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. track — a path
  23. perch — the fish
  24. track — to keep track

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