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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 · rush · bass · branch · perch · pitcher · vault · mate

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — the month

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