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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: band · branch · tube · spring · rest · saw · plane · rash

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tube — a container
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — the season
  5. band — a music group
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. rest — a break
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rest — what's left

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