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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · branch · bat · fall · dip · cap · perch · saw

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. spell — a short time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — of ice
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — letters
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. branch — a division
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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