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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: cap · charge · snap · branch · chest · lie · lean · perch

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. lean — thin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cap — a lid
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chest — a box

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