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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.

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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: perch · row · branch · ball · hand · march · bore · nail

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. march — the month
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — a division
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — to drill
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. row — to paddle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — of a tree

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