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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: wake · branch · perch · spell · stem · club · hide · bat

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. club — for golf
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — a trail
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spell — letters
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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