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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: press · mouse · ball · perch · land · season · pitch · branch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — a division
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — ground
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. press — to push
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — a publisher

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