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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: spring · bank · band · net · swing · scale · date · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — of a river
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bank — for money
  15. spring — the season
  16. band — a music group
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. date — the fruit
  19. swing — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. net — after costs
  24. scale — size or range

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