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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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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: club · arm · track · roll · rest · branch · cap · toast

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. branch — a division
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — a break
  10. toast — bread
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cap — a lid
  16. track — a song
  17. roll — a cake
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cap — a hat
  20. club — a group
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. roll — a list
  24. track — a path

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