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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: branch · shower · degree · row · jam · club · pop · squash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. row — to paddle
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. degree — from a university
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — temperature
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pop — soda
  15. branch — a division
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pop — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. squash — the sport

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