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

Word bank: kid · track · branch · fork · last · bear · perch · bat

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — to go on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — a path
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. last — final
  19. track — to keep track
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fork — a garden tool

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