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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. perch — the fish
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wax — to grow
  23. branch — a division
  24. drill — the tool

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