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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. plane — a tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — size or range
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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