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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. branch — a division
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — for digging
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — a dish

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