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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ground — a position
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — the most important part
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — a trail
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — in music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ground — the earth

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