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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — magic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. firm — decided
  22. fork — in a road
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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