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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.

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: march · chip · deal · spell · land · bore · perch · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a ring
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. land — ground
  7. bore — to tire
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — letters
  10. land — a country
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — to handle
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. land — to come down
  19. chip — for betting
  20. march — music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — magic

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