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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — to keep track
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. date — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — to bear
  16. track — a path
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. current — of water
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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