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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. band — a music group
  5. net — after costs
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mate — a partner
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — of water
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stock — shares
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. current — happening now
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. key — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. band — a ring
  19. mate — a friend
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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