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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kid — child
  10. branch — a division
  11. kid — to tease
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bass — low music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. race — humankind
  24. club — for golf

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