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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bear — the animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bank — for money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bore — to drill
  17. last — finally
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to tire
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — of a bank

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