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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mug — a face
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — wild animals
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — the season
  16. club — a group
  17. root — of a word
  18. mug — to rob
  19. club — for dancing
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mug — a cup
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a match
  24. branch — of a bank

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