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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — of law
  8. roll — a cake
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. court — of a king
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. roll — a list
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to sink
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a dance

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