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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. branch — a division
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — of water
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — a break
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. court — for sport
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — the season
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — a measure
  24. deal — to handle

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