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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: branch · club · lie · saw · spell · row · chip · racket

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — a group
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spell — letters
  18. lie — to recline
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spell — magic

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