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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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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 · tear · branch · chip · rock · season · deal · fall

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — the season
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. deal — to handle
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — from crying
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — of the year
  16. chip — to eat
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rock — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. season — in sport
  23. chip — for betting
  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