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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — the fish
  7. game — a match
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — the most important part
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mate — a partner
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — in music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mate — a friend
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — for a lock
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. scale — for weighing

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