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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: net · bark · ruler · fan · cell · march · branch · perch

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in biology
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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