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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. rash — a series
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — music
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — a group
  19. court — of law
  20. march — the month
  21. club — for golf
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — the underground
  24. club — for dancing

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