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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: foot · perch · pit · wind · kick · track · mark · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kick — in football
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. track — a song
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pit — a hole

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