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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — not warm
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — the fish
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bank — of a river
  23. root — of a word
  24. bat — the animal

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