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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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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: fork · staff · march · perch · bank · band · row · mouse

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — a line
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. march — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. staff — employees
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bank — for money
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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