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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · mark · season · branch · snap · row · trunk · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. snap — to click
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mark — a grade
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — of the year
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. staff — a stick
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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