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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: club · press · pop · branch · bat · wind · pit · perch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — a division
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. press — to push
  14. club — a group
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — a hole
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — in a race
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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