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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 116 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: branch · ground · chair · lie · land · drill · perch · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. perch — the fish
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — the earth
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chair — a leader
  19. branch — a division
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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