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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — a law
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — government
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. band — a ring

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