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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. club — for golf
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — thin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. branch — a division
  19. lean — to bend
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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