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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 120 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: pop · ball · fine · branch · pound · rash · net · sharp

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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