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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · cold · rash · wake · perch · branch · present · last

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — not warm
  7. last — to go on
  8. rash — a series
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cold — an illness
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — finally
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — final

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