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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — in sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a music group
  9. net — for catching
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. net — after costs
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — a division
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. band — a ring
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. safe — a strongbox

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