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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — a division
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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