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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: drill · band · sharp · bass · roll · branch · patient · net

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. roll — a cake
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — for catching
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. drill — the tool
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — the fish
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — a list
  23. patient — a sick person
  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