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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. branch — a division
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. last — finally
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — low music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. club — for golf

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