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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · net · perch · chair · bank · mine · branch · scale

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. band — a ring
  7. scale — in music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. perch — the fish
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chair — a leader
  21. scale — size or range
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. branch — a division

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