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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · hand · tear · band · pitcher · march · can · perch

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — the fish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. band — a music group
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — the month
  15. can — to be able to
  16. squash — the sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — help

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