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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 116 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: cold · stick · branch · bulb · track · swing · perch · calf

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. swing — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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