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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: arm · wake · snap · club · mouse · present · branch · cold

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. club — for dancing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. present — the time now
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. present — there
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. club — for golf
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. snap — to click
  18. club — a group
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. branch — a division
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cold — the Cold War

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