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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — a division
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — of a king
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a document
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. can — a tin
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. hand — help
  20. bank — of a river
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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