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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: fine · spring · wave · branch · face · mouse · rest · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fine — all right
  8. rest — a break
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spring — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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