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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: net · sharp · branch · band · toast · race · spell · craft

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. toast — bread
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. craft — boats
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — a short time
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. race — humankind
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. race — a contest

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