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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: branch · lean · cap · pop · club · sharp · object · patient

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lean — thin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — to bend
  9. object — a thing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pop — music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — a division
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. object — to protest
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cap — of ice

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