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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: mouse · fall · branch · staff · perch · date · land · kick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. fall — the season
  7. land — a country
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — in football
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. staff — a stick
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — the fruit

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