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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — magic
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. branch — a division
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spell — letters
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. charge — a price
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — in control
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. club — a group
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — electricity
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for golf

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