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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: content · band · fall · deal · sharp · perch · branch · nail

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — the fish
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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