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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.

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
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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: perch · cue · march · hand · spell · branch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. march — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. cue — a hint
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — for pool

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