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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 120 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: bowl · mate · club · root · bass · hand · wave · branch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. branch — a division
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — a group
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mate — to breed
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bass — low music
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. root — the cause

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