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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of law
  3. branch — a division
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. club — a group
  11. court — of a king
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. mate — a friend
  15. club — for golf
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — the underground

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