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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · branch · drill · foot · perch · court · bat · cap

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — of a king
  8. perch — the fish
  9. branch — a division
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. court — of law
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — the animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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