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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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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: wake · pass · court · branch · march · lash · fork · perch

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. march — the month

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