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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: fine · perch · branch · ball · bark · swing · degree · coach

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a great time
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — temperature
  17. branch — a division
  18. bark — to shout
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. perch — for a bird

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