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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — a path
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. court — of a king
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. court — of law
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kid — child
  24. court — for sport

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