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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.

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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — all right
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fall — the season
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cue — for pool

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