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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — a division
  18. pass — a permit
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. staff — employees

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