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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 116 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.

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: drill · perch · coach · pop · branch · kid · trunk · march

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pop — soda
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. drill — army training
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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