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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: nail · club · firm · pop · branch · scale · file · game

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. club — for dancing
  3. game — a match
  4. firm — decided
  5. club — a group
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a line of people
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. scale — size or range
  11. firm — steady
  12. pop — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — soda
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pop — to visit
  17. club — for golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. file — a document
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — on a finger

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