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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: swing · race · pop · branch · mug · date · perch · club

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — a cup
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — in golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pop — music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — music
  17. race — humankind
  18. branch — a division
  19. mug — to rob
  20. club — for golf
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — soda
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a face

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