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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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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: bat · branch · leaves · hide · bass · perch · mug · pitcher

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — a division
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a face
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bass — the fish
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mug — a cup
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — of a bank

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