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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. face — to confront
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — help

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