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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. branch — a division
  5. clip — to cut
  6. perch — the fish
  7. file — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — a video
  10. file — a document
  11. present — there
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — for paper
  15. present — a gift
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. present — the time now
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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