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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 · snap · coach · last · club · racket · wake · straw

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. club — for golf
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to click
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. last — final
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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