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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · pit · branch · swing · press · spell · date · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. branch — a division
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — in golf
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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