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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — a division
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. vault — a safe
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lie — an untruth

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