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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: march · chair · bank · spring · branch · kick · perch · drill

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — in football
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — the fish
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — of water
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — the season
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kick — a thrill

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