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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: can · band · branch · lean · degree · season · last · perch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. last — to go on
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — from a university
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — final
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lean — to bend
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — finally
  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