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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.

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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: net · branch · lean · perch · patient · swing · spring · key

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — the most important part
  20. perch — the fish
  21. net — after costs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — the season

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