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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: pop · club · pitcher · band · branch · cold · safe · perch

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. club — a group
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a ring
  7. club — for dancing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. pop — soda
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. club — for golf
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. branch — of a bank

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