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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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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: branch · pitcher · perch · straw · march · wound · pass · rush

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — to spend time
  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