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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: mouse · lash · degree · root · club · branch · land · game

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. club — a group
  4. branch — a division
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — a match
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. degree — temperature
  19. club — for dancing
  20. land — ground
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — of a word
  24. mouse — the animal

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