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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: race · band · branch · nail · bay · spring · fine · season

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fine — all right
  8. race — humankind
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fine — high quality
  17. branch — a division
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. race — a contest
  24. fine — a penalty

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