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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. deal — to handle
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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