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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 · cue · branch · net · field · fan · season · hand

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — help
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — for catching
  9. cue — a signal
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — in sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — a hint
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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