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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: coach · lash · lie · perch · branch · rush · hide · net

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. net — for catching
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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