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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: branch · club · chest · content · wake · mine · firm · can

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — a box
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — happy
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — for golf
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — a group
  21. firm — steady
  22. chest — of your body
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — before a funeral

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