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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: perch · march · staff · arm · pop · chest · bank · file

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. perch — the fish
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. march — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pop — soda
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. pop — to visit

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