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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — clothes
  5. current — of water
  6. suit — in cards
  7. perch — the fish
  8. club — for golf
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — a subject
  14. chest — a box
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — a group
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for dancing

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