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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: kid · mug · scale · racket · mouse · branch · perch · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — to rob
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. mug — a face
  10. rule — a law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. branch — a division
  24. racket — a loud noise

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