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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. file — a line of people
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. land — a country
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. branch — a division
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — ground

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