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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to click
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — for sport
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — to bear

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