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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: hand · perch · band · ground · stem · safe · bark · march

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. march — music
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a music group
  24. hand — in cards

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