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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: rush · march · snap · temple · object · file · perch · branch

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. object — an aim
  16. rush — hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. object — a thing

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