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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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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: rest · mine · swing · branch · perch · shower · kick · cabinet

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. branch — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — a division
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — rain
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rest — a break
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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