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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · land · pass · branch · lash · content

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. club — a group
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. club — for dancing
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — a permit

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