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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: swing · game · racket · branch · wave · perch · capital · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — to drill
  11. game — a match
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. capital — a city
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. swing — music

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