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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. club — for dancing
  3. last — finally
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. toast — bread
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — a group

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