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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 120 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: coach · mine · perch · branch · game · key · court · mate

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — a friend
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — of law
  9. key — the most important part
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a match
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mate — to breed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — a division
  23. key — in music
  24. perch — the fish

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