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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. branch — a division
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — for sport
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — to come from
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of law

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