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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. shower — to wash
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rash — a series
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — a division

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