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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. can — a tin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — a series
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — the fish
  21. last — final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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