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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — the fruit
  7. season — in sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. saw — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bass — low music
  24. jam — in traffic

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