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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: bass · band · dip · bore · cell · march · season · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — the fish
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to drill
  22. march — the month
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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