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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: row · mine · firm · bulb · band · cue · mate · branch

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mate — to breed
  3. firm — steady
  4. row — a line
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cue — a hint
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — a signal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. firm — a company
  24. bulb — of a plant

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