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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
468
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 · cabinet · branch · chip · press · last · leaves · calf

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. press — to push
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chip — for betting
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — a young animal

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