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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — after costs
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. craft — boats
  24. branch — of a bank

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