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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — the season
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — a division
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cabinet — ministers

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