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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — a face
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fall — to drop
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bear — the animal

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