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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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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: net · pop · ground · club · mouse · lash · current · branch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. net — after costs
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. net — for catching
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — a group
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. pop — to visit
  24. branch — of a bank

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