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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: march · fan · key · temple · branch · net · perch · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. net — for catching
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. key — in music
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — after costs

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