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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: mark · toast · club · can · dip · branch · rock · game

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rock — music
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — for golf
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. club — a group
  10. mark — a trace
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — a grade
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — wild animals
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — a match
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — to be able to
  24. dip — to dunk

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