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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mug — a face
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. land — to come down
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — a cup
  14. perch — the fish
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — a division
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — a weight

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