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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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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: perch · pitcher · swing · land · branch · press · present · pop

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. present — the time now
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — the fish
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — to play on
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — music
  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