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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. firm — a company
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. drill — army training
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. club — for dancing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — final
  13. club — a group
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. firm — steady
  19. kid — to tease
  20. last — finally
  21. kid — child
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. firm — decided

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