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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: mug · band · wake · perch · foot · stick · march · craft

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — boats
  12. band — a ring
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. march — music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. craft — a skill
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mug — to rob
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — the fish

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