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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: game · drill · race · perch · branch · file · firm · pop

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — a company
  3. pop — soda
  4. race — the arms race
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. branch — a division
  11. pop — music
  12. race — humankind
  13. drill — the tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. firm — decided
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pop — to visit
  19. file — a document
  20. game — a match
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — steady
  24. game — a kind of play

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