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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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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: net · band · cap · bulb · face · present · bear · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — after costs
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — a hat
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — there
  23. bear — to put up with
  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