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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · branch · game · cap · leaves · fall · bass · row

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a hat
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cap — a lid
  13. row — a line
  14. cap — of ice
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — low music
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the fish

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