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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. craft — boats
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — there
  10. row — a line
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a skill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. present — the time now
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. club — for dancing
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — a gift
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mouse — for a computer

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