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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: branch · perch · bore · chest · file · pitcher · fall · bulb

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — a box
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. file — a tool

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