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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — rain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — of a word
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. branch — a division
  18. charge — electricity
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mate — a partner
  23. drill — army training
  24. charge — in control

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