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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 120 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 · branch · track · mouse · rash · arm · straw · foot

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. club — a group
  6. track — a song
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — hasty
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. track — a path
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — for golf
  23. branch — a division
  24. arm — a part of something

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