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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: cap · file · land · foot · branch · dip · spell · perch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cap — of ice
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spell — letters
  5. dip — to sink
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — magic
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — a country
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. file — a document

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