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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.

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 · fork · chest · wave · spring · fan · branch · bulb

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — a division
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — a box

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