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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: tube · drill · season · perch · trunk · ground · face · branch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — in sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ground — the earth
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ground — a position
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — a container
  20. ground — crushed
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. face — to confront

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