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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — a friend
  11. capital — money
  12. last — finally
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — final
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mate — to breed
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — to push
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. press — newspapers

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