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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — a hint
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cue — for pool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — in a road
  7. club — for golf
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. court — of law
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — a committee
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a signal
  18. branch — a division
  19. board — to get on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. court — for sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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