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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
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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: rash · land · perch · object · sharp · branch · mark · net

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — a series
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — a country
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. land — to come down

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