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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — the fish
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pass — a permit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — a division

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