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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: ball · roll · deal · object · branch · wound · tube · club

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. club — a group
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. deal — to handle
  14. object — a thing
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — the underground
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. club — for golf
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tube — a container

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