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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: key · branch · club · straw · bay · row · wound · mouse

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. key — the most important part
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. club — a group
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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