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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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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: bank · lash · date · net · field · branch · band · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a ring
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. branch — a division
  8. roll — a cake
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. net — in sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — a subject
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — of a river

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