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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. track — a path
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rule — a law
  5. mug — a face
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. present — a gift
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mug — a cup
  12. perch — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rule — government
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  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