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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. press — newspapers
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — a publisher
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. firm — a company
  24. hide — animal skin

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