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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 120 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: band · dip · perch · pop · net · squash · branch · pit

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pop — soda
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  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