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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: perch · stock · branch · band · firm · bat · jam · sharp

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — shares
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. band — a ring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — goods
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — a company
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — the fish
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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