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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: club · pitcher · mark · mouse · branch · snap · row · pound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — a group
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. club — for dancing
  11. row — a line
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. branch — a division
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mouse — the animal

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