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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — for sport
  4. file — a document
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — a division
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. court — of a king
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. leaves — to go away

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