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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: net · plane · firm · band · squash · file · branch · spring

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. file — a document
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — in sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. file — a line of people
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — of water
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — to crush
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — the season
  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