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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — a box
  12. club — for golf
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — a division

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