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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
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: chip · bass · fork · march · band · perch · branch · pitcher

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chip — for betting
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. branch — a division
  24. bass — the instrument

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