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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chip — for betting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — a division
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — the fish
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — to eat
  11. court — for sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. court — of a king
  20. prune — to trim
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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