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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. last — finally
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — final
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — for golf
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. last — to go on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. branch — a division
  23. wax — to grow
  24. club — for dancing

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