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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — a division
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — to protest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. perch — the fish
  11. object — an aim
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — a thing
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — of ice
  20. court — of law
  21. cap — a hat
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to rest against

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