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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 116 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: staff · degree · mug · club · prune · pound · branch · dip

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. branch — a division
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mug — to rob
  9. club — for dancing
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — a face
  14. degree — temperature
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — a weight
  24. dip — to sink

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