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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. club — for golf
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. club — a group
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — a practice
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — the tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — in a race
  19. shower — to wash
  20. drill — army training
  21. suit — to fit
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. perch — the fish
  24. branch — a division

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