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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: branch · degree · hand · row · kick · hide · perch · club

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hand — in cards
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. kick — in football
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. row — a line
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. degree — from a university

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