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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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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: rule · key · perch · kick · band · content · press · branch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a music group
  4. press — a publisher
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — in football
  8. rule — a law
  9. key — in music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a ring
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — government
  21. content — happy
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. content — videos and posts

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