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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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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 · perch · can · wound · content · branch · mine · court

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. can — a tin
  7. content — happy
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. content — the amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — to be able to
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — of a king
  24. band — a ring

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