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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.

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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 · bark · wound · spell · band · coach · pitcher · branch

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — a short time
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. branch — a division
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — magic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a rubber band

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