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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: branch · drill · chip · rest · cold · perch · pop · firm

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rest — what's left
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. drill — army training
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. firm — steady
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. drill — a practice
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — the fish

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