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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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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: spell · wind · pound · press · band · lean · branch · net

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a music group
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — thin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. net — for catching
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — in sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — to push
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a ring
  24. press — newspapers

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