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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 120 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: pass · perch · hide · row · spring · branch · fan · lie

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. perch — the fish
  17. branch — a division
  18. spring — the season
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spring — of water
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pass — a permit
  24. perch — for a bird

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