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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · row · straw · mine · branch · racket · fan · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. racket — a loud noise

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