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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: band · branch · cap · net · bear · chair · pound · can

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — for catching
  6. band — a music group
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — of ice
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — after costs
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. can — a tin

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