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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. branch — a division
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — a country
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — a trail
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. club — for golf
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — a group

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