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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: branch · band · mug · spring · fork · bat · bowl · nail

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a ring
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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