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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — for digging
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — a division
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bound — obliged

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