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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — a phone
  9. staff — a stick
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitch — a sports field

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