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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.

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 · leaves · perch · saw · track · present · bat · mate

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. track — to keep track
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — a division
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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