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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. last — final
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to click

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