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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: roll · racket · dip · march · perch · club · cell · branch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — a division
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — the fish
  12. roll — a cake
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — a list

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