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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: clip · stick · branch · perch · cap · wake · suit · fall

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. suit — in cards
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — a division
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. clip — to cut
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — a hat

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