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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: branch · key · trunk · sharp · club · fall · cue · kick

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fall — the season
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. club — a group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. key — for a lock
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — in football
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — a division

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