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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: fan · firm · face · drill · branch · root · band · key

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. firm — decided
  3. branch — a division
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — of a word
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — part of the head
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. key — for a lock
  24. band — a music group

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