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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.

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
468
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 · chair · bass · snap · mine · mark · branch · mug

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — low music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mug — a face
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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