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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mug — a face
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rock — a stone
  8. capital — money
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. club — for golf
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — the season

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