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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fine — all right
  10. firm — a company
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wound — an injury
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. firm — steady
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. firm — decided
  21. perch — the fish
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — a division

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