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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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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: roll · rash · club · rest · march · bear · kid · branch

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. club — a group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. roll — a list
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. club — for dancing
  15. march — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — child
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — a break

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