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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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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: wave · plane · kid · branch · stem · bank · club · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — for money
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — a group
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — a division
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bank — for money
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — after costs

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