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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.

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: band · perch · pitcher · net · march · chip · object · bank

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — to eat
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — of a river
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — for catching
  18. chip — for betting
  19. object — a thing
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — music

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