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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rock — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fall — to drop
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — the earth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. row — a line
  24. fall — to drop

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