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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — the arms race
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rock — music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. scale — in music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. branch — a division
  24. fork — a garden tool

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