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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 · branch · degree · toast · mouse · key · cabinet · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — a group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — the most important part
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. toast — bread
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — a division
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. snap — to click
  17. club — for golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. key — for a lock

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