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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — for golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. club — for dancing
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — what's left
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — a series
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — to bear
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. club — a group
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — dry grass

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