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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: saw · court · season · branch · fan · cell · bass · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of law
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. season — in sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. cell — a phone

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