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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. row — to paddle
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. club — for dancing
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for golf
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — a group

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