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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.

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 · march · perch · mouse · rash · root · last · branch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — finally
  12. band — a ring
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — the cause
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a music group
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — final
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rash — a series

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