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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — of law
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — for sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. branch — a division
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. net — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — for catching
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — with your hand

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