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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: bank · branch · shower · prune · perch · fork · swing · kick

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — in golf
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. swing — music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — a division

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