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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — a phone
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — after costs
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pass — a permit
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in biology
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. march — music
  24. perch — the fish

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