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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — a group
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. firm — steady
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — the fish
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. firm — a company
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. firm — decided
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — for golf

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