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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 120 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — a division
  4. chip — for betting
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — a break
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — in biology
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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