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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: band · stem · mug · wound · scale · wax · perch · branch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a ring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — a face
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wound — an injury

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