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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: rock · foot · perch · stand · straw · band · branch · temple

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. band — a music group
  8. branch — a division
  9. perch — the fish
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — a stone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. band — a ring
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stand — on your feet

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