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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: drill · perch · pass · pop · pit · row · branch · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — the fish
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — the tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. branch — a division
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pass — a permit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a line
  15. pop — music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. drill — army training
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pass — to succeed

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