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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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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — in sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — of law
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a match
  16. row — a line
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. court — for sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — in sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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