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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · band · chip · branch · squash · arm · stick · net

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — to crush
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a music group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — for betting

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