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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 120 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: rock · spell · wound · perch · coach · key · mine · branch

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mine — for digging
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — for a lock
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rock — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rock — to move gently

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