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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: band · mark · branch · rash · hide · perch · sharp · craft

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. craft — boats
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — a series
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mark — a trace
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — a division
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mark — a grade

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