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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 · perch · key · racket · degree · mate · stick · spring

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — a partner
  3. key — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mate — a friend
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — the most important part
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  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