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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — a division
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. swing — in golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. club — for golf
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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