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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 · board · branch · bass · arm · lash · rash · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. board — to get on
  24. branch — a division

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