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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 116 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: perch · sharp · stick · tear · band · fine · bark · rush

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a ring
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. band — a rubber band

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