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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — to paddle
  3. object — to protest
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. pop — to visit
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — a thing
  12. club — a group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. row — a line
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. branch — a division
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rest — a break
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — what's left

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