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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: race · tear · perch · dip · branch · season · arm · lash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — from crying
  5. race — a contest
  6. dip — to sink
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. season — in sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. race — humankind
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — a division

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