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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fine — all right
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — high quality
  13. branch — a division
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bank — for money
  21. chest — a box
  22. hand — help
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — of a tree

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