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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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Word bank
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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. branch — a division
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — from a university
  5. club — a group
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mug — a face
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — for golf
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — to visit
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cue — a signal

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