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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. net — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. ball — a dance
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of a king
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lean — thin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — a division
  13. court — of law
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — for sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to rest against

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