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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · spell · shower · capital · club · cell · cue · branch

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — a hint
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. shower — rain
  8. cue — a signal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. capital — a city
  14. branch — a division
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. capital — money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spell — letters
  22. shower — to wash
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spell — magic

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