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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. last — to go on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — a leader
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. can — a tin
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — final
  20. bank — for money
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — the fish
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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