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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: row · perch · ground · branch · chip · race · trunk · nail

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. row — to paddle
  7. branch — a division
  8. ground — a position
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — a line
  24. race — humankind

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