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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mark — a grade
  4. perch — the fish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fine — high quality
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — all right
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — to pay attention

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