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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: mine · club · branch · bark · mug · file · dip · board

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mug — a face
  3. file — a tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — to shout
  8. file — a line of people
  9. club — for golf
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. club — a group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a document
  19. board — to get on
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — for digging
  22. board — a committee
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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