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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · march · mine · ground · cell · lie · fan · branch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. ground — the earth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — a position
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — for digging
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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