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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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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: racket · band · perch · vault · snap · pitch · branch · net

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. snap — to click
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitch — completely
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. band — a ring
  24. net — after costs

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