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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for golf
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. press — a publisher
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. track — a path
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bank — of a river
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. press — to push

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