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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — help
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. prune — to trim

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