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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: land · object · track · chest · branch · net · can · bass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. can — to be able to
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. track — a song
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. bass — low music
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — a division
  22. land — ground
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — of a tree

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