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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: branch · march · pass · perch · trunk · cap

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. march — the month
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cap — a hat
  11. branch — a division
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cap — of ice

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