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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: club · branch · pound · shower · mate · content · wake · pass

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — a division
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — a trail
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. club — for golf
  19. content — the amount
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. content — videos and posts

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