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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: branch · cue · clip · foot · press · pop · perch · drill

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pop — soda
  8. cue — for pool
  9. press — to push
  10. clip — for paper
  11. drill — army training
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. clip — a video
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. branch — a division
  21. cue — a hint
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cue — a signal
  24. foot — a measure

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