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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. club — a group
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — a tin
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. can — a tin

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