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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: court · branch · club · bowl · root · row · mug · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mug — to rob
  3. club — for golf
  4. root — the cause
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. court — of law
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. root — of a word
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. club — a group

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