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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 116 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 · hand · bat · mug · key · branch · scale · stick

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. club — for golf
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mug — a face
  13. club — a group
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mug — a cup
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hand — help
  24. key — the most important part

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