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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — a video
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pop — music
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — soda
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — certain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — to visit

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