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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: perch · branch · press · arm · club · lie · mate · saw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — for golf
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lie — to recline
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — the tool
  9. press — to push
  10. perch — the fish
  11. branch — a division
  12. mate — a partner
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. club — a group
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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