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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. scale — in music
  11. object — an aim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — of water
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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