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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: shower · band · branch · board · perch · bear · bay · pit

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — to get on
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. board — a committee
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pit — in a race
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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