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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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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: ball · net · rash · leaves · branch · band · pass · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a ring
  8. rash — a series
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — in sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rash — hasty
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. branch — a division
  23. ball — a great time
  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