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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: roll · mug · cap · current · perch · coach · bowl · branch

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. cap — of ice
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. branch — a division
  9. current — happening now
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. roll — a cake
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. roll — a list
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — electric
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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