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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a tool
  3. present — there
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — a gift
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — of ice
  11. branch — a division
  12. tear — to rip
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — shares
  17. cap — a hat
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. race — the arms race
  21. present — the time now
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — humankind

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