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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a ring
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for golf
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. club — a group
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — rain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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