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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · chest · branch · spring · ball · club · band · cell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — the season
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cell — in biology
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — of water
  17. ball — a dance
  18. band — a ring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chest — a box
  24. club — for dancing

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