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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — a group
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — a country
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — low music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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