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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 116 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 · firm · bulb · band · key · hide · bat · pit

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bat — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — in a race
  14. firm — a company
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — decided
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — a division

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