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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 116 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: bass · wake · key · spring · band · branch · mug · net

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — to rob
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — in music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. key — for a lock
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. branch — a division
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — a cup

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