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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — a position
  10. rule — a law
  11. bank — of a river
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. branch — a division
  22. ground — crushed
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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