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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: branch · net · band · lash · last · craft · date · present

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — after costs
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — final
  8. date — the fruit
  9. craft — a skill
  10. last — to go on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. present — there
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — finally
  19. present — a gift
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — the time now
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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