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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: ball · saw · branch · perch · mine · lie · arm · land

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — ground
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — a country
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mine — an explosive

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