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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — in music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. club — for dancing
  12. vault — a safe
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — a division
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. club — a group
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rash — on the skin

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