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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.

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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: leaves · present · perch · branch · mate · fall · saw · row

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. present — there
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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