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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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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: kick · racket · rest · rush · staff · perch · branch · wind

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. branch — a division
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — hurry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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