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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 120 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. club — a group
  7. pound — a weight
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. swing — music
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. swing — in golf
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — for golf
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — employees

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