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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 · face · mouse · pound · present · pop · net

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pop — music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. face — to confront
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a ring
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. branch — a division
  14. present — a gift
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a music group
  17. present — the time now
  18. net — for catching
  19. pop — to visit
  20. present — there
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a rubber band

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