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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · branch · pound · wound · perch · march · object · saw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. object — a thing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. object — an aim
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. object — to protest
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — of a bank

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