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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: arm · chest · key · net · branch · bank · band · last

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bank — for money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — in music
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. last — finally
  11. band — a ring
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — final
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chest — a box
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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