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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — a group
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — a division
  18. fall — the season
  19. kid — child
  20. rock — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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