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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — the fish
  7. firm — a company
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. swing — music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — a division
  18. last — final
  19. suit — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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