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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: game · can · perch · sharp · rash · hand · lie · branch

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lie — to recline
  7. perch — the fish
  8. game — a match
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — help
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — hasty
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. can — to be able to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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