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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pit — in a race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. branch — of a bank

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