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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 124 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hand — in cards
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. branch — a division
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. toast — bread
  18. hand — help
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. land — a country
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — a dish

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