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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fine — high quality
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fine — all right
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. staff — a stick
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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