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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mug — a face
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. present — a gift
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. branch — a division
  13. bound — certain
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — help
  18. mug — a cup
  19. club — a group
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. present — there

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