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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: club · calf · roll · mine · branch · arm · date · bowl

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — a group
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. branch — a division
  24. roll — a cake

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