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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: spring · calf · pitcher · staff · rest · perch · prune · branch

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. branch — a division
  7. spring — a coil
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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