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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. season — in sport
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tube — a container
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — all right

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