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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — a law
  12. club — a group
  13. wake — a trail
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pop — soda
  24. branch — a division

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