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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — for betting
  4. court — for sport
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chip — to eat
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — a box
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. branch — a division

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