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

Word bank: club · mouse · spell · band · date · bulb · branch · pop

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spell — magic
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spell — letters
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  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