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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: perch · wave · spell · tear · branch · fork · present · coach

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. perch — the fish
  3. branch — a division
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — there
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tear — from crying
  23. present — the time now
  24. spell — a short time

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