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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 120 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: band · club · perch · branch · rush · chair · root · row

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. club — a group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. root — the cause
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for golf
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. branch — a division
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. band — a music group

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