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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. branch — a division
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fine — all right
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — for a bird

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