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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: court · land · coach · perch · rash · rock · branch · bear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. land — to come down
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — a stone
  8. court — of a king
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — ground
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rock — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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