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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. club — a group
  5. field — farmland
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rock — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — to visit
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — for sport
  24. snap — to click

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