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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. perch — for a bird
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — in sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. row — to paddle
  13. march — the month
  14. bank — of a river
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — for catching
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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