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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: perch · pit · arm · track · shower · branch · fine · wound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — a division
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a path
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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