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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 · nail · staff · branch · race · row · kick · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — in football
  3. branch — a division
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — to paddle
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a line
  17. race — humankind
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. staff — employees
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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