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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. saw — the tool

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