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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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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 · toast · bear · stand · branch · drill · rest · march

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. branch — a division
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. toast — bread
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — a break
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stand — for spectators

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