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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 120 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: squash · chair · lean · march · perch · band · safe · deal

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — music
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lean — to bend
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — to handle
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a music group
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to rest against

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