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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rule — government
  3. present — the time now
  4. branch — a division
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — a law
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mark — a grade
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. present — there
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. land — to come down

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