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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — a phone
  10. scale — size or range
  11. perch — the fish
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — in music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. calf — a young animal

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