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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: club · spring · bank · branch · spell · pitcher · charge · wax

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. charge — in control
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. charge — a price
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. club — for golf
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — a division
  24. bank — for money

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