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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a document
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — a division
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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