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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: branch · court · cue · perch · wind · rock · present · band

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. present — the time now
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — there
  17. perch — the fish
  18. court — of law
  19. branch — a division
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — a gift
  24. band — a music group

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