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

Word bank: bay · suit · branch · bat · fork · prune · perch · kid

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. prune — to trim
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — child
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. branch — a division
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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