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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.

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: face · fall · bulb · branch · jam · wake · perch · band

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bulb — for light
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a music group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. band — a ring
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fall — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. face — to point toward
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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