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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: pop · branch · club · nail · craft · fall · content · game

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — to drop
  6. content — the amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for dancing
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. club — for golf
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — the season
  15. craft — a skill
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. pop — 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