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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — after costs
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. craft — a skill
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — boats
  14. drill — army training
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — the tool
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. band — a ring
  21. branch — a division
  22. kick — in football
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — for catching

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